In a hearing that lasted until the wee hours of the morning under the leadership of Vice Mayor Julian Gold, the Beverly Hills City Council failed to pass landmark legislation that would have stopped the progression of overdevelopment in the hillsides marked by multiple unsightly retaining walls, massive “basements” that provide multi-story living spaces, and nearly limitless by-right grading that destroys natural landforms that once made the hillsides so attractive.

Land Use attorney Ben Reznik of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP lost an appeal Tuesday of the City’s clarification of the definition of a basement, and an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision denying a Hillside R-1 permit at 1260 Lago Vista Dr. for hauling more than 1,500 cubic yards of earth on a street that is less than 24-feet wide Tuesday.

Unbeknownst to most of the City’s voters, the Beverly Hills City Council members, led by Mayor Lili Bosse, including Vice Mayor Julian Gold and Councilmembers Lester Friedman, John Mirisch and Robert Wunderlich, unanimously voted to give themselves an extra year in office Tuesday afternoon.

After a long afternoon of comments and clarifications from lawyers, staff and the public, Mayor Lili Bosse threw down a gauntlet in response to a threat of litigation from Alan Hearty of the law firm Allen Matkins, representing developer Francesco Aquilini on the 1184 and 1193 Loma Linda Drive projects Monday, at the City Council Study Session.

Following months of contentious negotiations, the City of Beverly Hills and Beverly Hills Unified School District are on the precipice of having a new $10.5 million Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). On Tuesday, Dec. 19, the City Council is expected to vote on the new JPA, the final hurdle to ensure the continuance of this vital contract.

In a hearing that lasted until the wee hours of the morning under the leadership of Vice Mayor Julian Gold, the Beverly Hills City Council failed to pass landmark legislation that would have stopped the progression of overdevelopment in the hillsides marked by multiple unsightly retaining walls, massive “basements” that provide multi-story living spaces, and nearly limitless by-right grading that destroys natural landforms that once made the hillsides so attractive.

Land Use attorney Ben Reznik of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP lost an appeal Tuesday of the City’s clarification of the definition of a basement, and an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision denying a Hillside R-1 permit at 1260 Lago Vista Dr. for hauling more than 1,500 cubic yards of earth on a street that is less than 24-feet wide Tuesday.

The Beverly Hills City Council approved the consent calendar on Tuesday’s agenda unanimously without pulling any items, including Item 7, which moves the date of the City’s General Municipal Election to award this council one extra year in office to comply with Senate Bill 415 (SB415).

Unbeknownst to most of the City’s voters, the Beverly Hills City Council members, led by Mayor Lili Bosse, including Vice Mayor Julian Gold and Councilmembers Lester Friedman, John Mirisch and Robert Wunderlich, unanimously voted to give themselves an extra year in office Tuesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, the Beverly Hills City Council is expected to discuss issues related to last week’s news that Venoco, LLC was no longer responsible for monitoring and remediating the Beverly Hills High School oil well after a federal bankruptcy judge ruled that the energy company would be off the hook at the end of this month.